The below message was sent to faculty and staff on February 24, 2026.
Friends and Colleagues:
We are excited to provide an update on the invitation we shared earlier this year requesting proposals for achievable, innovative pilot projects to advance Bi-Co academic collaboration and promise meaningful outcomes for students, support faculty innovation, and enhance the academic experience across both campuses.
We met last month with the Provosts from each of our institutions to review the proposals submitted in the second round of this process. We are grateful for the thoughtfulness and collaboration that went into these submissions.
We are pleased to share that we have granted funding for the following proposals, in addition to the two that we announced in December:
- Bi-Co Developmental Science: Enriching Student Experience through Interdisciplinary Training and Community Engagement: Submitted by Ariana Orvell, Psychology, Bryn Mawr College; Cora Mukerji, Psychology, Bryn Mawr College; and Ryan Lei, Psychology, Haverford College. This proposal will advance developmental science at the Bi-Co by laying a foundation for valuable interdisciplinary training and professional development experiences for our students, while engaging the greater community, partially in response to the frequent pairing of the Psychology major with a Child & Family Studies minor. This planning initiative will leverage the unique strengths of Haverford and Bryn Mawr faculty, infrastructure, and local community to centralize interdisciplinary training and research opportunities for Bi-Co students; establish a workshop series facilitated by Bi-Co students and faculty for families in the greater Philadelphia area that translates developmental science research to support children’s development; and build partnerships with local organizations to engage diverse families in developmental science.
- Building a Bi-Co Jewish Studies Program: Curriculum, Community, and Collaborative Planning: Submitted by Ariana Huberman, Spanish, Haverford College and Marissa Golden, Political Science and Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Bryn Mawr College. A Bi-Co Jewish Studies program would give students structured access to this longstanding and dynamic field by examining Jewish history, religion, politics, literature, and languages from antiquity to the present across both Western and non-Western contexts. A formal Jewish Studies program would create curricular coherence, strengthen advising, and foster a meaningful sense of community for students seeking rigorous, globally grounded engagement with Jewish history, culture, texts, and contemporary life. It would enhance Jewish students' sense of inclusion and belonging by providing academic spaces that frame Judaism and the Jewish people beyond current political debates and invite deeper intellectual and cultural exploration. It would also help the broader undergraduate community better understand the complex and diverse factors that constitute Jewish experience.
- Strengthening Bi-Co Chemistry Program: Submitted by Clyde Daly, Chemistry, Haverford College; Gordon Peterson, Chemistry, Haverford College; Ashlee Plummer-Medeiros, Chemistry, Bryn Mawr College; and Eugenia Vasileiadou, Chemistry, Bryn Mawr College. This proposal supports electrochemical research and teaching of electrochemistry techniques across the Bi-Co. Electrochemistry and battery chemistry are critical research areas with large industrial footprints and are not currently explicitly addressed in the core chemistry coursework at either college. The funding of this proposal will support the purchase of a Gamry Instruments 1010T Potentiostat as well as a new Bi-Co "Electrochemistry Day" event.
Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal – we were very energized by all of the enthusiasm for this endeavor. We look forward to hearing about the outcomes of the five grants awarded at the end of the summer and are excited for how they might enhance the future of the Bi-Co academic collaboration. You can see all five of the awarded proposals and read more about the process online.
You may reach out to Bryn Mawr Provost Dee Matthews or Haverford Provost Helen White with any questions.
Sincerely,
Wendy Cadge, president, Bryn Mawr College
Wendy Raymond, president, Haverford College
